"Invisible Hands" is a 1983 single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 and the lead release from Kim Carnes

Kim Carnes

Kim Carnes is an American singer-songwriter. She is a two-time Grammy Award winner noted for her distinctive raspy vocal style. Some people have called her "The Female Rod Stewart" due to her raspy voice....

's album Café Racers. Martin Page and Brian Fairweather wrote the selection's words and composed its music; Keith Olsen was its music producer. Carnes released it and its source album, Café Racers, on the EMI America Records label, the label for which she then recorded.

Despite positive reviews in the music press and some rotation of the video

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

, which James "Jim" Yukich directed, the single stalled at #40 on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

; it would be the highest charted of all the singles released from the album. John "Jellybean" Benitez, who would go on to produce Madonna

Madonna (entertainer)

Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...

's breakthrough hit "Holiday

Holiday (Madonna song)

"Holiday" is a song by American singer Madonna from her self-titled debut album. Released on September 7, 1983 by Sire Records, it later appeared remixed on the 1987 remix compilation You Can Dance and the 1990 greatest hits compilation The Immaculate Collection, and in its original form on the...

," was recruited to remix

Remix

A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....

 the track for the dance mix

Dance mix

Dance mix is a form of music, created by mixing Techno House and Electronica. It reached its peak of popularity in the mid to late 1990s. However, it can also imply manipulating alternative rock and adult contemporary songs that are otherwise not dance songs so that "pop songs" can be more...

 version.

The single's B-side was "I'll Be Here Where the Heart Is," the principal ballad from the movie Flashdance

Flashdance

Another song used in the film, "Maniac", was also nominated for an Academy Award. It was written by Michael Sembello and Dennis Matkosky, and was inspired by the 1980 horror film Maniac. The lyrics about a killer on the loose were rewritten so that it could be used in Flashdance...

.

In 1984, Carnes was nominated for a Best Pop Rock Performance (Female) Grammy Award for "Invisible Hands."

Format and track listings

7" Single

• A "Invisible Hands" (FM Mix) (3:09)
• B "I'll Be Here Where the heart Is" (4:42)

12" Single

• A "Invisible Hands" (Dance Mix) (5:04)
• B "Invisible Hands" (FM Mix) (3.09)

Trivia

• European versions of the 7" single featured "Hanging On by a Thread (A Sad Affair of the Heart)" as the B-side.